He himself, however, as soon as the Southern Liang guard was down, fled to Fuhan (枹罕, in modern Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu) and surrendered to Later Qin.
Qifu Gangui, who was then in control of his old capital Yuanchuan (苑川, in modern Baiyin, Gansu), sent Qifu Chipan to the Later Qin capital Chang'an to visit the emperor Yao Xing, and Yao Xing made him a commandery governor.
Later that year, when Tufa Rutan, who had nominally been a Later Qin vassal, considered renouncing that status, he sent messengers to Qifu Chipan urging him to join the rebellion.
Qifu Chipan beheaded Tufa Rutan's messengers and sent their heads to Chang'an.
In 409, he captured Fuhan from the Later Qin rebel Peng Xi'nian (彭奚念) and secretly sent messengers to inform Qifu Gangui of this.
Early in his reign, Qifu Chipan continued his state's expansion at the expense of Tuyuhun, Southern Liang and Later Qin, and he further forced local tribes which were not under his father's rule into submission.
In 414, upon receiving news that Tufa Rutan was attacking rebellious Tuoqihan (唾契汗) and Yifu (乙弗) tribes, leaving Tufa Hutai in command of the Southern Liang capital Ledu (樂都, in modern Haidong Prefecture, Qinghai), Qiifu Chipan decided to make a surprise attack on Ledu.
Tufa Rutan's troops, hearing that Ledu had fallen, collapsed, and Tufa Rutan surrendered, ending Southern Liang and allowing Qifu Chipan to seize the remaining Southern Liang territory.
Having annexed Southern Liang into his state, in 414 Qifu Chipan claimed the greater title of Prince of Qin.
He was attacking Northern Liang when Northern Liang's prince Juqu Mengxun persuaded the Xia emperor Helian Chang (Helian Bobo's son and successor) to attack Fuhan.
Helian Chang, in response, sent his general Hulu Gu (呼盧古) to attack Yuanchuan and Wei Fa (韋伐) to attack Nan'an (南安, in modern Dingxi, Gansu), and while Western Qin was able to hold Yuanchuan, Nan'an fell, at great loss.
In winter 426, Xia forces commanded by Hulu and Wei attacked Fuhan, forcing Qifu Chipan to move the capital to Dinglian (定連, also in Linxia), and Hulu and Wei then captured another important Western Qin city, Xiping (西平, in modern Xining, Qinghai), and while they then withdrew, Western Qin had been dealt a major blow.
In 427, Qifu Chipan moved his capital back to Fuhan, and hearing that Northern Wei had captured the Xia capital Tongwan (統萬, in modern Yulin, Shaanxi) and forced Helian Chang to flee to Shanggui (上邽, in modern Tianshui, Gansu), he sent his uncle Qifu Wotou (乞伏握頭) to offer tributes to Northern Wei.